Improvement in devices for holding down organ-keys



A. FOWLER.

improvement in Devices for Holding Down Organ-Keys.

Patented Sep.3,1872.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

A. FOWLER. Improvement in Devices for Holding Down Organ-Keys. N0.131,090. Patented Sep.3,1872.

///////// V J i UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

AZRO FOW'LER, OF MOUNT VERNON, ASSIGNOR TO E. P. NEEDHAM & SON, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN DEVICES FOR HOLDING DQWN ORGAN-KEYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,090, datedSeptember 3, 1872.

Specification describing certain Improvements in \Vind MusicalInstruments having Key-Boards, invented by AZRo FOWLER, of Mount Vernon,in the county of Westchester and State of New York.

This invention is applicable to all wind instruments, such aspipeorgans, reed-organs, harmoniums, melodeons, 820., having keyboards;and its object is to enable the tone or tones resulting from the actionof one or more keys to be prolonged to any desired extent beyond thetime during which the fingers of the performer exert pressure thereon.The invention consists in certain novel means wh ereby one or more ofthe valves for the purpose specified may be kept open for any desiredtime after being relieved from the pressure of the performers fingersalso, whereby the valves thus opened may be closed singly to resumetheir normal position after the due prolongation of the tone, withoutinterference with others of the valves similarly held open, and this bya simple pressure of the fingers upon the key itself; also, whereby theopen valves, whatever their number, may be simultaneously closed withoutany direction upon the keys by the hands or fingers of the performer.

Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a wind instrument of the organ class,constructed according to my invention, certain parts being indicated asbroken away to better show the arrangement of other portions. Fig. 2 isa vertical longitudinal section of the same taken in the line a: m ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing theparts in a different position. Figs. 4. and 5 are vertical longitudinalsectional views taken in the line y 3 of Fig. 3, and showing, indifferent positions, certain portions of the apparatus.

A are the keys, arranged upon the keyboard in the usual manner, andconnected in any ordinary or appropriate way with the valves of theinstrument. At one side of the frame 13 is a lever, O, pivoted at a andcapable of a horizontal movement. The forward end I) of this lever is insuch a position as to be easily operated by the hand or otherwise of theperformer, and its opposite extremity is pivoted at c to a rod, D,connecting with a transverse slide, E, by a pin, 0, passing through aslot, to, in the end of the rod. The slide E moves in suitable guides d,and is connected by pivoted radius bars F with the moving block G, themovement of which is at right angles to that of the slide and controlledby pins 1) working through the slots 0 in the block. At f is a spring,so applied as to press the block G back toward the slide E. Pivoted inbearings g fixed to the frame B are dogs H, to which are attachedsprings h, with their upper or free ends bearing back against the blockG, being passed through holes at the front thereof. The upper ends ofthese dogs, when the keys are in their normal position are situatedbehind rectangular studs or projections 1 formed on the under sides ofthe inner or rear portions of the keys, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5.When the lever O is moved laterally to move inward the slide E, thelatter, acting through the radius bars F, forces forward the block Gragainst the springs h of the dogs H, and, compressing the said springs,causes them to exert an elastic forward pressure upon the dogs.Consequently, when the rear end of any key is lifted by the depressionof its forward extremity, the dog H, arranged with reference thereto, isforced forward under the rectangular projection t of such key, and,consequently, prevents the return of the key to its original position,when its forward end is relieved from pressure. On relieving the lever 0from the force inducing its previouslyindicated lateral movement it isreturned to its original position by a spring, 70, which, by reversingthe movement of the slide E, remits the forward pressure on the springsh, and drawing back on such springs reverses the direction of theirpressure, thereby withdrawing all the dogs except that engaged inholding the valve open, as previously explained, from underneath studsz, adj acentto each respective ly. The strength and elasticity of eachspring are such that, when the dog to which it is connected is engagedunder the studi in front of it, the friction of the stud will besufficient to prevent the return of the dog by the reverse action of thespring until either the rear of the key be lifted by further depressionof its forward end, or a positive force is applied means the toneresulting from the action of any key may be prolonged for any length oftime desired after the pressure of the performers fingers upon it hasbeen removed; and may be stopped when desired by a second downwardpressure upon the key, which, sufficient play being allowed the latter,causes the rear end to be lifted clear of the dog, which, relieved fromthe frictional contact of the stud i, is brought back by its spring h,and thus allows the return of the key to its normal or originalposition. By retaining the lever O in such position as to keep the blockG pushed forward, as hereinbefore explained, any desired number of thekeys may be locked in position to prolong the several tones. To providefor the simultaneous release of a number a of keys so locked, provisionis made as folmovement given to such bar I will move it back against thedogs H. Upon this bar I is a shoulder, r, and a check-stud, 8. -Againstthe former bears the end and against the latter the side of aspring-pawl, J, attached to the lever G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.lVhen the lever O is actuated to throw inward the slide G, the slot aton the rod D permits a limited movement of the lever before the slide isacted upon. During the interval thus afforded the inward movement of thepawl J, the pawl, acting on the shoulder r, forces the sliding barinward and, through the operation of its radius-arms J, backward untilit comes in contact with the dogs H, and pushes such of them as may beunder studs *6 out and away therefrom, to permit the return to theirnormal position of the keys on which the several studs are provided.This done, the continued movement of the sliding bar I brings thecheckstud 8 against the pawl in such wise as to push it out of contactwith the shoulder 1'. Thus relieved, the sliding bar is brought back toits original position by a spring, f, while the lever O is furtheractuated to operate the slide E, as and for the purpose hereinbeforefully explained.

By these means the tone or tones resulting from the operation of one ormore of the keys of a wind instrument provided with a keyboard, may beprolonged to any desired extent either singly or collectively, and suchprolongation, of either one or more, may be caused to cease at the will.of the operator, the whole apparatus being of simple and durableconstruction and capable of easy management or manipulation; whereas, ofthe other devices devised for a somewhat analogous purpose, a bassotenuto, so termed, and another a French invention, the former permitsbut one key in an octave to be depressed at a time,

such key being released by touching another key of the same octave,while the latter has catches or hooks attached to each key--anarrangement found to be extremely liable toget out of order and becomepractically inoperative.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The dogs H, actuated by powerapplied through the springs h, in combination with the keys A,substantially as herein set forth, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the lever O, slide E, block G, and radius-bars F,with the springs h, dogs H, and keys A, substantially as herein setforth, for the purpose specified.

. 3. The combination of the sliding piece I, having a movement to andfrom the dogs H, in combination with the said dogs and the keys A,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth. r

4. The combination of the lever 0 having the spring-pawl J, the slidingpiece I working on radius-arms J and furnished with the shoulder r, andthe check-stud s, with the dogs H and keys A, substantially as and forthe purpose herein set forth.

5. The combination of the block G, the springs h, dogs H, sliding pieceI, and keys A, substantially as herein set forth.

AZRO FOWLER.

Witnesses: v

FRED. HAYNES, HENRY '1. BROWN.

